The Dallas Zoo has double the reasons to celebrate after Sukacita (“Suki”), a Sumatran tiger, gave birth to twin tiger cubs on Dec. 6.
On Monday, the zoo announced the arrival of the male and female cubs, who are yet to be named, to the world.
“Everyone is happy and healthy and doing great,” said Dallas Zoo on Facebook. “The male cub weighed in at 1.1 kg (about 2.4 lbs), and the female weighed 1.02 kg (about 2.2 lbs) at birth, and they’re both growing fast. 10-year-old, Kuasa is the proud father, which makes these cubs and Sumini full siblings.”
While both cubs are healthy, unfortunately, Suki had milk production issues, similar to when she gave birth to Sumini, and staff is now caring around-the-clock for the cubs.
“We were prepared for this possibility and were able to act very quickly to intervene and ensure the cubs’ survival. Just like with Sumini, these cubs are receiving around-the-clock care from our incredible team of zoologists and veterinarians. Both cubs and mom are happy and healthy.”
The zoo said that while they never planned on hand-raising the cubs, the unique situation allow them the rare opportunity to introduce Sumini to her siblings once they are big enough.
“This will allow all three cubs to get invaluable exposure to other tigers and learn the skills that only tigers can teach each other. Sumini and her siblings will be able to stay together until they start maturing, just as a litter would in the wild. These introductions will be a slow, careful process that will start once the newest cubs get a bit bigger. Sumini has already seen the cubs from a distance and chuffed right away, which is a positive sign that she’s excited to be a big sister.”
The cubs will remain behind the scenes for now, but the zoo said to, “be on the lookout for more updates soon.”
“With only 400-600 Sumatran tigers remaining in the wild, each birth is a major win for this critically endangered species, and we’re thrilled to be able to contribute to the population once again with these newest adorable additions.”
